Star
by MzShellSan
Summary: Tony was a star and he tended to burn you if you got too close to him, purposefully or not. Good thing that Thor was a god and hadn't met a single star strong enough to kill him yet. This is not Canon Compliant and exists post- Ragnarok and Civil War, but with some changes. Written for my Writing Challenge Day 7: Star. Intended as Thunderiron Pre-slash, but can be read as platonic.


**30 Day Writing Challenge**

**Day Seven:** Star

**Fandom: **Marvel Cinematic Universe

**Pairing: **ThunderIron

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the MCU

**Star**

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When Thor landed at the compound, he was confused by the lack life that he seemed to note in his immediate area but shrugged it off, moving instead towards the building and stepping inside, only to be shocked when a few weapons immediately point towards him.

"Man of Iron? Captain?"

His voice seemed to echo in the too empty rooms and something didn't feel right.

Glancing around, he frowned when he noted that there was a small amount of rubble that had yet to be cleaned up. Had something happened while he was gone?

Stepping forwards, he put his hands up in show of peace when the weapons seemed to whirl to life.

"I mean you no harm. Where is the Man of Iron and the others?" He asked, waiting for the response of the voice he'd gotten used to in the ceiling.

There was silence instead.

Panic rising, Thor ignored the weapons, moving instead further into the building, looking for any signs that would explain what was going on or where the others where.

Spurred on by the fact that the weapons seemed only to be a reminder and hadn't yet shot towards, Thor stepped into the elevator, waiting as it immediately took him down to where he knew Stark's workshop to be.

When the doors slid open, he couldn't fight his surprise when he noticed the decimation, and even more so, his shock at seeing the Man of Iron curled up in the middle of it all.

He appeared to be shaking, but from what the thunderer couldn't tell.

"Man of Iron!" He called out, trying to get his friend's attention.

There was silence and no movement, causing Thor to furrow further, anger at the situation being to rise despite his best attempts to squash it back down.

It would do no-one any good if he were to get angry now.

Stepping through the wreckage that had once been a door, Thor winced when he noticed the wounds Stark had covering his arms and the debris stuck in his hair.

"Man of Iron." He repeated.

This time there was movement, Tony's body reacting finally to the sound of a voice as he fought to escape the image in his mind.

Unsure of what to do, Thor moved closer, kneeling next to Tony but not touching without permission.

"Man of Iron, what has happened here? What's wrong?" He asked. If he couldn't figure out to do, he would just have to ask for direction.

His brother would be so proud.

"You're not here. You're just a figment of my creation. A psychotic break. Thor isn't here." Tony mumbled out, shaking a little as he tried to remind himself to fight his way back to reality.

Thor frowned. "I assure you, Starkson, I am very real. And very much here." He informed.

There was a moment when Thor thought he would be denied and then a scrambling movement as Tony tried to move further away from him, pushing through broken pieces of glass and concrete.

The pain didn't register for Tony as the Aesir looked on in alarm.

"Please stop, Man of Iron. You are injuring yourself." He warned.

"If you've come to hurt me more then you're too late." Tony scoffed.

What exactly was that supposed to mean?

"I'm not here to hurt you. I only wish to know what has happened here. Where are the others?"

Tony let out a cruel, broken sounding laugh that squeezed at Thor's heart and reminded him so much of the laughter Loki had used when he was broken and thought he had no-one left to turn to.

"Others? What others? There's only me left, Thor. They're gone. Everyone's gone. And soon you will be too, because if you aren't here to hurt me, then you can't be real."

The words were harsh, tone biting into Thor as he flinched away from them like they could do physical harm. But before he could respond he watched in horror as Tony's eyes slipped shut, pain finally overwhelming his body even if the rest of him didn't register it just yet, passing out without another word.

It was silent for a moment longer as Thor flailed, trying to figure out what to do now.

"I must request that you remove Sir from the area, Master Odinson. If possible, it would be beneficial to Sir's health if you were to treat his wounds as well."

Thor jumped at the voice and felt a sudden sense of rage that the being would choose to speak _now_.

As if sensing his annoyance, Jarvis's voice filtered through the speakers once more. "I apologise for being unable to help earlier. Sir placed me on mute. Until he passed out, there was nothing I could do to get around the coding in place. Currently the safety of Sir is the only thing allowing me to break a direct order."

The explanation made sense, and the Aesir felt himself calm at getting answers, before snapping away from his thoughts and cursing himself.

He'd gotten caught up in such a petty issue when there was clearly something much more important to be dealing with.

Stepping through the destroyed lab with little care, he lifted Stark gently from the ground, frowning at the distinct lack of weight. Had he not been eating?

Thor would have to make sure he got him to eat later then, he decided, before turning and heading to the elevator.

Just like before, it began to move of its own accord, taking them to the top floor.

"Sir's room is down the hall and on the left." Jarvis informed.

Following the directions, Thor opened the door easily and gently placed Stark on top of the sheets before frowning. Now what?

"There are medical supplies under the sink in the adjoining bathroom. It would be best if you removed the glass carefully and then disinfected the wounds. I have sent a message to the only doctor that Sir trusts, so I am hoping that you have enough experience to manage this much until then."

There was an underlying warning that made Thor want to argue for his honour and hide from shame at the same time.

"I will do my best." He vowed, before setting out to do just that.

His hands weren't quite steady, but he'd like to think he did an admirable job as he pulled each piece of glass from the wounds carefully, amazed as he discovered more and more, but relieved when they mostly seemed to be small enough.

Pulling out the last piece of glass that he could see, he moved onto the disinfectant, pouring generous amounts onto a cotton bud before swiping it over each wound carefully until he was satisfied.

"It would be best to wrap the wounds now until Dr. Cho can finish taking a look and caring for Sir."

Thor grunted in agreement, grabbing the bandages and beginning to carefully wrap each of Tony's arms before moving to his legs and feet.

It was silent as the Aesir worked and when he finished up there was a sense of pride as he looked upon his work.

Carefully he shifted Stark so that he was under the covers instead.

"What now?"

"It might be best if you were to rest up, Master Odinson." Jarvis suggested after a moment. "It is likely that Sir will not be in a great mood when he wakes up and he may be purposefully antagonistic towards you in an attempt to drive you away from him in these times. I ask that you don't let it dissuade you from helping him. I fear if one more person leaves Sir, he may not recover."

Thor swallowed at the thought of the man who he'd known to be so strong reacting.

"What has happened while I was away?" He asked, leaving Tony's room and shutting the door carefully so that he wouldn't wake the man with his questions.

"If you would go towards the lounge, I will turn on the TV and you can see for yourself."

It was vague but Thor did as he was instructed, taking a seat on the dusty couch and waiting as the screen came to life.

Almost immediately he was assaulted by video clips of the fight between Tony and Steve and their disagreement.

Before the thunderer realised it, he had spent nearly two hours watching footage from the fights and gaining an understanding of what had happened.

Following that he had Jarvis bring up a copy of the accords so that he could read over them himself and come to his own conclusion about everything that was happening.

"I had no idea." He broke the silence finally. It was going to be sad to see how this news would affect Banner as well who was back on Asgard for the moment. "Where is the Vision, the Spider man and this Black Panther now? Why are they not here helping Tony?"

"Spider man's identity is confidential, but it's not his fault that he's not here. Black panther is the King of Wakanda and does not live here. Currently that is where the rogue avengers can be found. The Vision is out finding himself. And of course Colonel Rhodes is unable to be here because he is under constant observation and therapy after the incident." Jarvis reports.

Thor could never understand how such emotions were in an artificial constructs voice, but the way he spoke screamed of anger so clearly that it was hard to believe that there wasn't a real man behind the voice.

Regret filled Thor at not being here to help the other's understand the situation better, or to be a buffer between them. Or to even the odds, perhaps.

After reading through much of the document, he was beginning to understand everything a little better and he couldn't help but agree with Stark. It was a similar concept to having a party overlook decisions for relations with other planets on Asgard and it was clear enough that the people required these in order to stop a revolt from happening. It was concerning that the Captain saw an issue with them.

Of course they weren't perfect, but Jarvis had helpfully explained that the document was still undergoing changes constantly and was being reviewed regularly as Stark had worked to rectify some of the issues that the had with some sections.

Before Thor knew it another few hours had gone by.

"Sorry to interrupt your reading, Master Odinson, but Sir is showing signs of waking. It may be best if you are nearby." The 'just in case' was clear, even if it wasn't spoken.

Putting down the odd device that he had been reading from, he made his way back to Stark's room, opening the door quietly, lest he be the reason for the man fully waking from slumber.

"Who's there!"

Thor frowned at the frightened but steely tone. "Man of Iron, it is just me." Thor spoke, voice even as he let the door swing fully open to reveal him.

Tony frowned. Perhaps he was still hallucinating or asleep. "Impossible. Thor is on Asgard doing whatever princely things he does in his spare time." He denied.

Shaking his head, Thor smiled ruefully. "Kingly things, now. But that's a story for later. I came to check upon you all and warn you of the being Thanos, however instead of found quiet the split." He explained, before frowning. "I'm sorry."

The hysterical laugh was back and Thor flinched at the manic look in Stark's eyes.

"You're sorry? What are you sorry for? Sorry that I couldn't listen to Roger's like a good dog? Sorry that I've deluded myself into thinking that anyone would ever stick around for more than the five minutes it takes to score some money or free tech from me? Sorry that I was stupid enough to give out my trust?"

The tone of betrayal shook Thor. He had expected it, but there was something in the way he said it that there was more to the situation than what the news and documents Jarvis had provided could tell him.

"No, I'm sorry that I wasn't here. I have spent the past half of the day reading over documents and trying to understand the situation. But perhaps, it is better if you inform me of everything that has happened so that I can gain a full understanding." The Aesir suggested.

Tony scoffed, curling further under the blankets, feeling vulnerable once more as memories of the past month flashed through his mind.

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. I finally listened to the people around me and owned up for the mistakes that I'd made. Over one hundred countries wanted this and I decided, "hey, I'm not more important than one hundred countries, so I should listen" and then the good _Captain_, decided that they were unnecessary. That it was a terrible idea to listen to over one hundred countries and instead decided to go rogue. And when I decided to go and help them, when I gave up my position on everything and decided that if it was Roger's way or the high way and risked everything to try and help them, he turned around and stabbed me in the back again. Or maybe I should say in my chest since that's where everyone seems to aim." He ranted, voice hoarse as he shouted towards the end of it.

Thor frowned as he listened. "What happened with the Captain?" He prodded.

"He lied."

Thor's frown deepened at the defeat in those two words. There was more emotion there than in the entire rant he'd just conducted.

"Lied about what?" He asked, voice soft.

Tony refused to let his eyes water. Stark men were made of iron. Stark men did not cry.

"My parents. Everything Steve did wasn't because he didn't believe in the accords, he did it for his long lost best friend. And that friend killed my parents, which is knew as he asked to borrow the jet and go gallivanting around the place in order to find him. He knew it as he stood there and asked for my resources over and over again. And he knew it as we stood in that bunker and _still tried to lie to me_."

Flashes of his own mother before death came to mind as Thor watched in sympathy as Stark fought against breaking down.

"And when I attacked Barnes in my anger, Roger's beat me to the ground like I was nothing."

Everything came together in that moment and suddenly the anger made all the more sense.

Rage was building as he thought about how they had treated their shield brother, about how they had treated their comrade in arms.

"How dare they? And they stood there and called you ally?"

Tony let out a painful laugh. "I don't know if you noticed, _Thor_, but you're doing the same thing. Or is it normal in Asgard to hold your friends against the wall in anger and try to choke them?"

The reminder made Thor recoil in shame as he looked to the ground, no longer able to meet the gaze of the man who he had felt anger for, and instead only felt pain.

"You are right. In my anger I hurt you greatly and I would not begrudge you in your anger and hatred of me if that is the case. I only ask that you give me a chance to prove myself worthy of your forgiveness while I am here."

Those heartfelt words filled with regret made Tony flinch back. He had gotten so used to people making excuses for their actions, or pretending that the situation was something else, or even blaming him for what has happened (or perhaps he was most used to people blaming him for everything that happens should be the first thing on that list).

But here was Thor, a King if he was to believed, in his own right, standing before Tony who was too vulnerable to fight back and too weak to even argue too much on the subject, not demanding forgiveness, not even demanding a chance to try for it. Asking for it instead.

Swallowing thickly, the engineer tried to find the words to answer the god, but found himself at a loss of what to say.

"Okay." He managed to choke out finally.

Thor looked up from the floor in apparent disbelief. "Okay?"

Tony laughed, and for the first time in days. "Yeah, okay. You can try and earn my forgiveness."

A blinding smile took over the Aesir's face and Tony felt his lips twitch back.

"Now, were you the one who bandaged me up?" He asked, finally noting the scratchiness he'd come to associate with the familiar fabric covering his body.

The look on Thor's face reminded him of a puppy who was proud of something they'd done and were looking for validation.

In truth they were a bit loose and he could tell that the god was unused to doing this sort of thing, but he couldn't help but be warmed by the knowledge that someone who had seen at his most vulnerable had opted to help him heal instead of condemning him to more pain.

"Thanks." He said finally.

And the smile of Thor's face was well worth saying that singular word.

"I have taken the liberty to order some food. It should arrive in no more than ten minutes. I implore you to eat as much as you can, Sir. It has been almost a week since you ate anything more than some dry crackers. But I also ask that you take your time so that you don't make yourself sick."

Jarvis's tone sounded man, and Tony winced at the memory of forcing the AI onto mute while he was in the middle of one of his breaks.

"I promise, Jay." Tony stated, as a form of apology.

There was silence in response, and the engineer knew he'd be making it up to Jarvis for the next few weeks at least.

It would seem that apologies were the theme of the day.

"Come on then, big guy. We'll eat in the lounge." Tony informed, moving to get out of bed and wincing the second his feet touched the ground. Noting the bandaged that continued to mummify his bottom half, he winced.

"If I may?" Thor asked, not stepping any closer but waving towards Tony.

The engineer frowned.

"It may be in your best interests if you were to let Master Odinson carry you." Jarvis informed him.

A denial immediately rose in his throat, but Tony forced himself to squash it down. If Jarvis was suggesting it then maybe allowing Thor to carry him would count as a point in his favour.

Even though Jarvis wasn't a physical being, his anger hurt the same as it did when he was still alive.

"Okay." He agreed finally.

Carefully and slowly, Thor moved towards Tony and picked him up gently. The lightness reminded him of the Voice's declaration on how long it had been since the man had eaten.

Moving smoothly so that he wouldn't jolt the injuries on Stark's body, he made his way back to the lounge before placing the man in his arms down.

"The food has arrived. If you wouldn't mind, Master Odinson, it has been paid for, it just needs to be collected from delivery man." Jarvis informed.

"Of course." Thor agreed easily, leaving Tony to his own devices for a moment while he followed Jarvis's directions to collect their food.

When he was sure he was alone, the engineer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry, Jay. I know I locked you out when you wanted to be there for me and put myself at risk and you hate that." He apologised.

There was silence and for a moment Tony thought that Jarvis wasn't ready to accept his apology.

"I find myself at a loss for what to do, Sir. My protocols say that I am to help you in any way I can and your well-being is the most important thing, and I don't like how your refusal of my help has interacted with the way my protocols feel. It's an odd experience and I rather don't appreciate being forced to go through it." Jarvis explained finally.

Despite the situation, Tony's lips twitched at the AI's attempt to understand the emotions it was experiencing.

"You're angry, Jay. You're allowed to be. I just need to know if you'll forgive me."

"I'm afraid it goes against my coding not to, Sir. But I would ask that you not do that again. Don't put me in a position where I'm not allowed to help you."

"Anything for you, Jay." Tony promised, and he meant it. If that's all Jarvis wanted in return for his forgiveness, then it was a small price to pay. Even when he had no-one, he had Jarvis.

Moments after he'd said the words, Thor waltzed back in, three bags of food in this hands which he placed on the table. "It would appear that the Voice has ordered us the Midgardian meal of 'Chinese'." He informed Tony.

The engineer fought the urge to snicker at Thor's way of putting it and instead focused on forcing his stomach to stop rolling.

"It would be best if you were to wash your food down with a lot of water, Sir." Jarvis informed him.

Tony licked his lips at the mention and noted his own dehydration. "Good plan, Jay." He agreed.

He moved to get up and grab it but Thor shook his head. "Worry not, Stark, I will get the glasses and the jug of water."

Tony once more found himself fighting down the urge to get angry at the coddling, but let it go, nodding before a thought came to mind.

"Hey Thor, why do you call me Stark?"

Thor frowned as walked over to the kitchen area and located the glasses before pulling a jug of cold water from the fridge and wandering back to the coffee table where they were eating, pouring one for Tony and then for himself.

When the engineer didn't take it from his hand, Thor shrugged and placed it down in front of him.

"It is your name." He answered finally, question in his voice.

Tony shook his head. "It's my last name, sure, but it isn't the name I go by usually. We call people by their first names here unless they are teachers or people who we regard as more important here, and that is with the 'Mr' of 'Mrs' tacked on." He pointed out. "Most people just call me Tony."

Thor titled his head in confusion, nose wrinkling at Tony's name. "It is not the name for a warrior." He explains, before realising that it could be taken as offensive. "Of course I mean no disrespect."

There was a snort of amusement from Tony, his lips twitching, and Thor struggled to understand what he had said that was so funny.

"If that was an insult then it's the mildest one I have ever come across. I get it, buddy. My full name is actually Anthony if you prefer. Or even Antonio. I'd just rather not be reminded of my father every time you speak my name." He explained finally.

Thor lit up at the name options. "Of course." He agreed. He too found himself shying away from his last name Odinson for the reminder it brings so soon after, "Anthony is a fine name for a warrior, and an even finer name for a smith."

Raising an eyebrow, Tony didn't comment further on the topic, satisfied that Thor would use his full name instead now and digging into his food instead, eating slowly like he'd promised and taking his time to work through as much as he could handle. By the end he had managed just over half a carton of Stir-fry and fried rice, as well as three glasses of water. Jarvis would be pleased.

But now that he had eaten, he could feel exhaustion setting in once more and he struggled to keep his eyes awake.

"Mayhaps it's time to return you to your room for the night." Thor pointed out, placing down the food he was still eating for the moment.

"I think you might be right about that one." Tony admitted, resigning himself to being carried once more.

"Helen Cho will be here before lunch tomorrow to take care of you." Jarvis informed his, as if sensing Tony's worries.

"Thanks, Jay."

"My pleasure."

Thor carried Tony silently, pleased to note that this time he seemed much less tense, though whether that was because of exhaustion or trust he could not be sure. He hoped it was the former, though there was little chance.

Sitting Tony back on his bed, Thor smiled a little before leaving the man to sleep. "Good night Anthony." He wished, grinning wide when the sentiment was returned.

Perhaps he had done some terrible things and he didn't deserve to be forgiven, but the way that Anthony accepted him thus far gave Thor hope.

And that hope was all he needed to keep pushing forwards.

It was likely that Anthony will try to push him away yet, distance himself and burning Thor for getting too close, because he was like a bright star, burning hot. But it would take a thousand more like that to get close to burning Thor.

He hadn't met a star yet that could burn him forever, and Tony wasn't going to be the first.


End file.
